Happiness, digital wellbeing and child digital safety – Dubai and United Arab Emirates Ministry of Happiness Communication in 2019

Abstract

Happiness, positivity and wellbeing concepts in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates are considered government policies. Dubai’s has been working to implement its vision and goal to be the happiest city on Earth. It’s all about emotions but it involves a lot of technology and innovative initiatives. To achieve that goal, there is a Ministry of Happiness, a Happiness Agenda, a National Happiness and Positivity Program, a Happy Dubai webs page, a Smart Dubai platform, etc. We have been studying Happiness as a policy in Dubai since the launch of the happiness meter in 2014, and government communication of the Ministry of Happiness since 2016. This paper focuses on the programs and initiatives of the Ministry of Happiness in 2019. Along the study our attention was directed to the Child Digital Safety – an emergent and urgent topic on the digital policy agendas worldwide. This paper is an exploratory study about Happiness as a policy, Digital Wellness and UAE’s Child Digital Safety Initiative. Among our key findings, we emphasize the fact that the Minister of Happiness works actively to build the path to the happiest city on Earth. Regarding the Child Digital Safety Initiative, an initiative integrated on the Digital Wellness Strategy 2031, the main goal is to provide children with the necessary skills, and assist parents in understanding the threats of the digital world, along with the means to counter them in order to better manage the digital life of their children.